By: Yuelan Yuan

Caeleb Dressel, seven-time Olympic gold medalist and former best sprinter in the world, finally returned to competition after his eleven-month hiatus.

On Friday, May 12, Dressel competed at the McAuley Aquatic Center, site of the 1996 Olympic Games.

For the first time in his swimming career, Dressel did not qualify for the upcoming world championships. His preliminary swims in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle were too slow to make it to the championship final. Although he won third in the 50-meter butterfly, it still wasn’t enough to make it to international competition.

Despite this, this race was a significant turning point after his hiatus.

Dressel withdrew from the world championships last June due to an undisclosed health issue and disappeared from the sport and spotlight.

Anthony Nesty, Dressel’s coach, said that there was extra pressure on Dressel as the face of U.S. men’s swimming. During his time off, Dressel was able to regain some peace and spend time alone.

Although he lost strength during his layoff, Dressel recently resumed training and practices eight times per week. His goal is to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.